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Guy Molinari

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Guy Molinari
Molinari in 1987
13th Borough President of Staten Island
In office
January 1, 1990 – December 31, 2001
Preceded byRalph J. Lamberti
Succeeded byJames Molinaro
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York
In office
January 3, 1981 – December 31, 1989
Preceded byJohn M. Murphy
Succeeded bySusan Molinari
Constituency17th district (1981–1983)
14th district (1983–1989)
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 60th district
In office
January 1, 1975 – December 31, 1980
Preceded byLucio F. Russo
Succeeded byRobert Straniere
Personal details
Born
Gaetano Kenneth Molinari

(1928-11-23)November 23, 1928
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 2018(2018-07-25) (aged 89)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Marguerite Wing
​
​
(m. 1956; died 2008)​
[1]
ChildrenSusan Molinari
Parents
Alma materWagner College (BA)
New York Law School (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1951–1953
RankSergeant
Battles/warsKorean War

Gaetano Victor Molinari (November 23, 1928 – July 25, 2018) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from New York city. He represented Staten Island in the United States House of Representatives for four terms (1981–1989) and then served 12 years as Staten Island borough president (1990–2002). His daughter, Susan Molinari, also served as a U.S. Representative.[2]

Education and military service

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Gaetano Kenneth Molinari, "who changed his middle name as a teenager to Victor"[3] was born on Manhattan's Lower East Side. His father was S. Robert Molinari (1897–1957), "the first Italian immigrant to serve in the New York state Assembly,"[4][dubious – discuss] representing the 2nd District of Richmond County in the New York State Assembly from 1943 to 1944. After changing from a Republican to a Democrat, Molinari's father was not reelected. His mother, Elizabeth Margaret (Majoros), was of Czechoslovak descent.[3][5][6]

Molinari attended private schools growing up and graduated from New Dorp High School in Staten Island in 1945. He attained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Staten Island's Wagner College in 1949 and his law degree from New York Law School in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps (attaining the rank of sergeant), from 1951 to 1953 during the Korean War. He was admitted to the New York State Bar following his discharge from the military in 1953 and commenced practice in Staten Island.[7][8]

Political career

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Molinari and his daughter Susan with President Ronald Reagan in 1984
Molinari with President George H. W. Bush in 1989

Molinari was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1980, sitting in the 181st, 182nd and 183rd New York State Legislatures. He was a delegate to the New York State Republican conventions in 1979 and the Republican National Convention in both 1980 and 1984.

In 1980, he was elected to the House of Representatives, unseating nine-term Democrat John M. Murphy. The district included all of Staten Island and most of Lower Manhattan. In 1982, his district lost its share of Manhattan, and was instead merged with a Brooklyn-based district that was held by four-term Democrat Leo Zeferetti. Molinari defeated Zeferetti won with 57%. He was reelected to the three succeeding Congresses with minimal opposition and served from January 3, 1981, until his resignation December 31, 1989, to become Borough President of Staten Island. He was succeeded in the House by his daughter, Susan, who also served on the New York City Council. He served as Borough President from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2001.

In 1994, a week before the statewide elections, Molinari announced his view that Karen Burstein, the Democratic nominee for New York Attorney General, was not qualified to serve as attorney general because she was a lesbian. The combination of Molinari's remarks, a strong national Republican showing, and the win of George Pataki in the governor's race, led to Republican Dennis Vacco's narrowly defeating Burstein.[9] The New York Times called his remarks "gutter politics".[10]

In 1995, Molinari ran for Richmond County District Attorney. He lost the race to Democratic incumbent, William L. Murphy.[11]

A Life of Service (book)

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Molinari co-authored his autobiography A Life of Service[12] with former NYC Police Lt. Patricia Feerick-Kossman, a "highly decorated cop, who is also a lawyer and a registered nurse."[13] Feerick, after five years of appeals,[14] began to serve her sentence for having illegally searched for a stolen police radio. With a search warrant still pending, she launched a technically legal "random .. door-to-door" search that, in being carried out, went beyond legal bounds.[15] Feerick-Kossman, a mother with husband Joseph Kossman of two sons, the second seven weeks old,[16] entered Rikers Island jail. Molinari successfully "lobbied Gov. George Pataki to commute her sentence"[17] and she was released a month later. Her law license was returned in 2000.[18]

The book, whose start can be traced to Feerick's pushing,[19] discusses Molinari's success[20] at convincing a then age 44 Rudy Giuliani to run for mayor of NYC, Giuliani's push for Molinari to run for Staten Island's Boro President, and the (2001) closing of Fresh Kills Landfill, "the largest .. in the world."[21]

Personal life

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Guy Molinari's daughter Susan succeeded him as a member of Congress. She is married to Bill Paxon, a former United States House Representative from Buffalo.[22]

Death and legacy

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After spending his final years in his home in Bay Terrace, Guy Molinari died of pneumonia on July 25, 2018, at the age of 89.[23]

In September 2003, a new Staten Island Ferry boat was built and was christened the Guy V. Molinari;[24] it joined the New York City Department of Transportation fleet in September 2004, a year later.[25][26] The boat continues to transport commuters and tourists between Staten Island and Manhattan.

James S. A. Corey's novel Leviathan Wakes and its television adaptation, The Expanse, featured a spaceship named for Molinari.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Guy V. Molinari, Power Broker in New York and Beyond, is Dead at 89". The New York Times. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  2. ^ "Former SI Borough President Guy Molinari dies at age 89". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Peter Szekely (July 25, 2018). "Guy Molinari, Republican voice in Democratic New York, dead at 89". Reuters. because "Guy K. Molinari just didn't roll off the tongue easily"
  4. ^ "Obituary: Guy Molinari, 89, a giant who transformed Staten Island's civic and political landscape". Staten Island Advance. July 25, 2018.
  5. ^ "The New York Red Book". December 8, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  6. ^ Theis, Paul Anthony; Henshaw, Edmund Lee (June 9, 2008). Who's Who in American Politics. R.R. Bowker. ISBN 9780835230124. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  7. ^ "Guy Victor Molinari Lawyer Profile". Year of First Admission: 1953 ... Richmond County Bar Association
  8. ^ Andrew R. Dodge; Betty K. Koed (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. p. 1601.
  9. ^ "One Candidate's Lifestyle Becomes Other's Ax To Grind - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. October 17, 1994. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  10. ^ "Guy Molinari, From the Gutter". The New York Times. New York State. October 12, 1994. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  11. ^ "Our Campaigns - Richmond County District Attorney Race - Nov 07, 1995".
  12. ^ Molinari, Guy V.; Feerick-Kossman, Patricia (2016). A Life of Service. Page Publishing, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1684091683.
  13. ^ Mike Pearl (October 4, 1994). "Top Female Cop gets 2 years on 'Terror' Rap". The New York Post. p. 16.
  14. ^ Michael Cooper (October 27, 1999). "Ex-Officer, Convicted in Illegal Raid, Is Freed by Governor". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Tom Hays (April 16, 1995). "NYPD Bad Cop's Illegal Search Mars Career". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ Steve Dunleavy (September 19, 1999). "A mom goes to jail as justice weeps". The New York Post.
  17. ^ Rachel Shapiro (November 28, 2016). "Guy Molinari on his book". Staten Island Advance.
  18. ^ Murray Weiss (December 22, 2000). "Ex-Cop Feerick gets early gift: her law license". The New York Post.
  19. ^ Rachel Shapiro (December 3, 2016). "Guy Molinari's proteges make book-signing a reunion". Staten Island Advance.
  20. ^ "A sneak peek: Guy Molinari's tell-all book (part 1)". Staten Island Advance.
  21. ^ "To read Council Member Borelli's full report" (PDF). May 2017.
  22. ^ Levine, Carrie; Beckel, Michael (February 23, 2017). "Billionaires, Corporations Helped Fund Trump Transition". NBCNews.com. New York, NY. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  23. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (July 25, 2018). "Guy V. Molinari, Power Broker in New York and Beyond, Is Dead at 89 (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  24. ^ a b John M. Annese (August 13, 2012). "First a Staten Island Ferry, now a spaceship? Guy Molinari's name travels far". Staten Island Advance.
  25. ^ "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Welcomes the Guy V. Molinari to Staten Island Ferry Fleet". September 27, 2004. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  26. ^ "To Staten Island, via Wisconsin; First Ferry Built Since 1986". The New York Times. September 19, 2003.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guy Molinari.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 60th district
1975–1980 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 17th congressional district
1981–1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 14th congressional district
1983–1989 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Borough President of Staten Island
1990–2001 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for District Attorney of Richmond County
1995 		Succeeded by
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